The word רהטים in Song of Solomon 7:5[6] has long been recognized as enigmatic. While this term unambiguously denotes ‘water troughs’ elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, the meaning ‘trough’ appears contextually inappropriate in Sol 7:5[6]. This ambiguity is also observable in ancient translations, and ancient and medieval commentators offer no unified interpretation. Some modern commentators explicitly express the uncertainty of the word, while a few argue for the meaning ‘troughs’. Most modern commentators interpret the word as ‘tresses’, based on the Aramaic cognate רהט meaning ‘to run’, building a semantic chain of ‘running/water → waves → wavy hair’.
This study employs the Held Method to determine the semantic range of this word. The Held Method represents methodological principles established by Moshe Held for comparative Semitic linguistics and later compiled by his students. Its central principle is that contextual meaning must be thoroughly examined before making etymological comparisons with other Semitic languages. Applying this principle to examine the context of רהטים in Sol 7:5[6] reveals that the meaning ‘tresses’ can be established independently of an etymological comparison with Aramaic רהט. Furthermore, ancient Near Eastern iconography confirms that the ‘tresses’ interpretation fits well with the visualization of the ‘victorious king and defeated captive’ motif employed in 7:5[6]. This suggests that רהטים as ‘tresses’ stands in a homonymous relationship with רהטים as ‘water troughs’. If ‘water troughs’ was the more common meaning, then ‘tresses’ may have functioned as a technical term referring to specific hairstyles or hair ornaments in the luxurious context of the Song of Solomon.
From this perspective, interpreting רהט in Sol 7:5[6] as ‘water trough’ also remains viable. If ‘water troughs’ was everyday terminology while ‘tresses’ was a technical term for a luxurious hairdo, audiences of this love song, when it was first circulated, may have evoked both the contextually appropriate meaning of ‘tresses’ and the more familiar meaning of ‘water troughs’. The comparison of female sexuality to liquids appears frequently in the Hebrew Bible, and the metaphor of the female body as a liquid-containing vessel is a visual trope found throughout the ancient Near East. This reading would allow for interpreting the woman’s attractions described in Sol 7:1-5a[2-6a] as being compared to ‘water troughs’ in which the king becomes captivated and quenches his thirst. Therefore, this article argues that רהטים in Sol 7:5[6] could be understood by the early singers, performers, and audiences of this song primarily as ‘tresses’ while simultaneously accepting a more evocative interpretation as ‘water troughs’ in a double sense.